Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Current norms for GT & AP, etc.

Part of the confusion is that there does not appear to be a uniform standard. Our GT Pre-Calculus course is supposed to be a hodge-podge that includes function theory (with trigonometric functions as one example), some analytic geometry topics, some "advanced" algebra topics, and some linear algebra topics. Our AP Calculus BC course is focused on multi-variable calculus. Of course, things can change within the next few years as well. I know there was a recent reshuffling of topics for Algebra I in our district.

I think in some ways Pre-Calculus is the course that varies the most because it is often a hodge-podge such that two courses with this same name may not even touch on the same topics. In my day, Pre-calculus was only one semester so that the second semester was AP Calculus AB. You are correct that passing the AP Calculus BC exam meant that you could skip the first two semesters of college calculus. I think that my old high school's practice of stretching it out to three semesters made it accessible to most of the students in those classes. Regarding AP Physic C, I think our district offers the option of taking just Mechanics in one year or both in one year. I finally see why some seniors graduate with a crazy number of AP credits.

I'm just now really starting to look into the current state of AP courses as my ds is just now entering high school. I'm looking through the lens of an *old* parent who took AP courses in high school years ago (I won't post *which* years because I want to keep that info private lol!). As a student years ago, I saw AP as something that you had to be highly qualified to take, it was a bit of an honor to be able to take them, it looked good on your college resume, and it translated into real college credit for me which was very nice.

As a parent reading about the courses today, it seems to offer some of what I got out of it, but it also seems to be all about a company creating as many tests as possible, presumably to maximize profits. I have no issue with that, but how it plays out in school is really confusing to me at this point!

When I was a student there was only one "AP Calculus" course, which from what I can tell is equivalent to what is tested on "Calculus BC". There was only one physics course, "AP Physics", which was one semester of calculus-based mechanics and one semester of calculus-based e&m. I took a physics course prior to AP Physics (non-calculus-based), but it wasn't really necessary and I can't quite really grasp how you turn non-calculus-based physics into a college-level course - the only people I can think of who would take it are… well I can't think of any! If you're a person who is interested in the sciences, your college curriculum would require physics with a calculus base, and if you're not interested in the sciences… are you really going to sign up to take a physics course? Please know I'm not knocking physics here - I'm a physicist lol!

Anyway, it's all a little frustrating to me at this point but I don't really have a good understanding of the options yet. It appears that our school district tries to push kids into Calculus AB and then add on Calculus BC for some of the kids - but I see no reason why my ds shouldn't be able to take that full year of Calculus that I believe Calculus BC is intended to be. Having to sit through one semester's worth of college-level calculus spread out over two semesters seems ridiculous for most gifted kids, even for most high-average kids who are good at math.


polarbear

Our districts are K-8, and 9-12. My daughter is a 7th grader in Geometry and her teacher at curriculum night mentioned that the class didn't have to follow common core like the others including Accelerated Algebra 1. the multivariable calculus can be taken for college credit at U of illinois ($300 fee)

That's true. I would add that passing APs does not guarantee credit at the elite colleges. In my day, you have to have at least four scores of 4 or 5 in certain combinations (ex.: Calculus BC, Physics, English Lit. and U.S. History) of APs to get sophomore standing and there were no in between options.

I am quite confused as well. My kids are only 6th graders, but certain decisions made by the end of 7th grade for 8th grade can affect the high school science sequence and some others as well. I have actually been reading multiple source documents from our district, some of which aren't readily accessible for the casually inquiring parent. It's not that I am special, only that I know where to dig and am taking the time to do so.

In high school, I also took GT Physics followed by AP Physics and the difference was the math and the frequency/sophistication of lab experiments. There are now several combinations of choices for Physics alone. There are also more choices beyond the traditional Biology, Chemistry, and Physics trio. As for Calculus, I am realizing that it may partly be an issue of the breadth and depth of coverage as well.

We are K-5, 6-8, and 9-12. As a result of Common Core, topic coverage has been revamped for Algebra I and Geometry but so far has not touched the Pre-calculus or Calculus curriculum. I restricted my original post to the AP options as it gets even more confusing when we look at the other options provided through dual enrollment, early enrollment and simultaneous Associate Degree/High School Diploma programs.

Well now I know you are probably older than I am, unless your school just didn't offer the options and you didn't know. When I was in high school we had the AB vs. BC Calculus options. And I ended up taking neither, graduated a year early and still skipped the first quarter of Calculus because my "pre calculus class" was really a semester of trigonometry and a semester of beginning calculus. I took a the non Calculus bases Physics AP course, what was supposed to be my junior year. I didn't take very many AP's... I just skipped a year of H.S.

Well, an almost quote from on the vice principals of DS's High School. 'Don't worry your kids will get a chance to take AP science courses, we now offer AP Environmental Science Course and it has no prerequisites beyond passing the basic required science sequence. (earth science & biology)' While I have no problems with AP Environmental Science and it sounds like a great class, it seems there is less and less emphasis is getting most kids to take Chemistry and Physics.

Some districts around here let a kid go directly into the AP science course, but our district makes the kid take the honors course first (exception - this year they changed the stance on Physics since the AP Physics tests changed). So my current 11th grader took Honors Bio in 9th, Chemistry in the summer before 10th, AP Bio in 10th and now AP Physics in 11th. The school insists that you take Bio in 9th, Chem in 10th and Physics in 11th (all with lab) - that's why she took Chem over the summer (couldn't fit in two sciences plus her two foreign languages).

Take a look at the percentages of 5s in various AP exams, and there is a wide range. Also interesting to note that when some AP exams have changed, rates of 5s have changed (Bio went from 20% 5s to single digit 5s - 6.5% this year). Not sure what it means.

And 4s and 5s can help with credit in college. Eldest entered school with 24 credits from APs. Would be nice if she would finish in three years, but she decided to double major instead.